Xifos Project
by gyldedfynix
Summary: Garrus, FemShep and the team face the mysterious evil that is destroying turian colonies in the Terminus Systems.  Possibly funded by the Alliance, the attacks must be stopped before the galaxy destroys itself before the Reapers even arrive.
1. To Hell and Back

**Author's Note:** I am very new to the website, so this is the correctly formatted version of my original upload of this story. This is also my first ever foray into the fanfiction world, so reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Shepard looked out the window in the Starboard Observatory at the endless space. Samara had left her quarters long enough for Shepard to steal a moment in the room, alone. Throughout the time she had spent on the new Normandy, she had felt an aching for her old crew and routines. When she didn't have Cerberus to answer to, and when the threat was just a man. Fighting what she knew must be an enormous army, with no real way of taking them down, especially by herself, seemed an insurmountable challenge at this point. The only way she could think that the Reapers would be brought down was through the combined efforts of all the sentient races in the galaxy. Even then, she wondered if it would be enough.

Shepard had found little comfort in her crew members, repeatedly lashing out through no fault of theirs. She seemed to take out her anger about everything on her subordinates. Once she had scolded them about whatever they had been arguing, she felt guilty, but couldn't apologize. She had even lashed out at Garrus, the one person who seemed to be truly interested in her well-being and was completely understanding to the weight on her shoulders. Perhaps it was his time on Omega, battling the unrelenting evil that is the injustice of the weak versus the powerful, but the turian consistenly made excuses for Shepard's temper, and gave her comfort where he could.

Stepping into the elevator to go back to her quarters, Shepard thought about her time with him in the past few months. She had come to respect the turian even more than she had during their previous adventures, greatly appreciating his help both on and off the battlefield. He had successfully designed and help install the new cannon on the Normandy, and both engineers had reported it would tear through any biotic, tech, or otherwise protective barrier as if it were melted butter. The other upgrades to the Normandy further attempted to relieve the Commander's stress, but the looming battle seemed as if it could never be won. It was truly the first mission she felt was inevitably suicidal.

Relieving herself for a moment from her thoughts, she attempted to find the liquor she had smuggled up from Kasmui's quarters. Shepard uncapped the bottle, and failing to find a glass quickly enough for her thirst, took a swig of the pink liquid. It burned deliciously down her throat before settling into her stomach. Taking a second gulp, her head buzzed with her apprehensions and the beginning effects of the drink. Settling down on her couch, she stared into the Promethean artifact she had brought back from Kopis. The surface of the silver orb twirled in her vision, slight ripples dancing with each other before fading away to become perfectly smooth again. She took another sip and imagined the ripples were caused by tiny bugs, scurrying around the surface, chasing each other around before retreating into their homes for sleep or food.

Food. That sounded like a good idea to Shepard right now. Draining the last of the liquor, she stood up, shakily. Steadying herself by holding her arms out, she cautiously took a step forward. Bolstered that the step had caused minimal dizziness, Shepard took two more steps before everything went black.

* * *

An arm was around her, its hand absentmindedly tracing designs on her waist. Shepard slowly opened her eyes to see she was lying on her couch, her head in Garrus's lap. He was reading a datapad-something apparently quite interesting-for he didn't move at her slight adjustments in position or changes in breathing. She studied him for a moment while lying there. He seemed perfectly at ease to have the Commander lying in his lap in her quarters, as if this were nothing more than a mere calibration he needed to attend to on a regular basis.

Closing her eyes again to simulate as if she just now was waking up, she made a slight groan, and raised an arm to her head, effectively moving his arm in the process. He immediately put the datapad down, and held her shoulders to keep her from getting up.

"Hold on, Commander. You drank an entire litre of ryncol in less than an hour. Eight ounces is usually enough to knock a male human out, much less a... um... petite woman such as yourself," Garrus warned.

"I'll be fine, Garrus. I just need to go down and get some food. Especially some bread. And water. And coffee. And I'll just lay back down now." Shepard had attempted once more to sit up, but talking about food had made her stomach lurch in protest. Feeling as if the best place to be right now was the turian's lap, she settled back down on the couch. "How did you..."

"...know that you were flat-on-your-ass drunk? You can thank EDI for that. She noticed your elevated heart rate and relentlessly increasing blood alcohol content, and notified me. At least you haven't completely pissed her off yet; anybody else would've left you to sleep in your own drool puddle for the next two days."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, "but, I was going to ask how you got up here."

"There's an elevator. You go in and push the button that says the top floor. Then it magically takes you there."

"Smart ass."

"Always a charmer, Shepard. Go back to sleep; the medicine I gave you still needs a couple of hours to work on the alcohol in your system." Garrus patted her shoulder, and picked up his datapad again. Shepard adjusted herself on the couch before taking Garrus's hand in hers and drifting into her alcohol and medicine-induced rest.

* * *

Shepard woke this time to find herself alone and in her bed. The covers had been neatly wrapped around her, and a note was on her bedside table.

_Had to catch some sleep myself before tomorrow's mission. That, and you started drooling on me.__  
_

_-Garrus_

Smiling, she got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Smart ass."

* * *

The doors to the main battery swooshed open as Shepard neared them, revealing her caretaker, hard at work calibrating the Normandy's weapons. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, he turned, and seeing her, smiled.

"Glad to see you're off the floor... Commander."

"Keep talking like that, and you'll be on it yourself, turian." Shepard retorted, raising her fists in mock preparation.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Garrus replied.

"It's a promise." Shepard winked at him before turning to leave. Instead, she was blocked by the closing of the main battery doors. Without turning around, she asked, "What's on your mind, Garrus?"

Rather than answer, he came up behind her and held her. Melting backwards into him, the Commander relaxed. She liked the feel of the cold metal of his armor against her back; it was reassuring, solid. The turian it housed felt even more so, his hands and arms enveloping her in his secure embrace. The two stood for a moment, relishing the feeling of each other, before Garrus broke the silence.

"I'm here for you, Shepard. 'til the end. May hell rain down on us; I'll still be at your side," he paused, unsure of how to approach his main intent. "I wish you would use me for strength, and find comfort in me. The whole crew knows your stress, and feels it with every word. I'm not chastising, just wishing you would use me. Okay, that sounded bad."

Shepard turned to face him, his face showing the full extent of his emotions. He was truly worried about her, ashamed that he could not do more, and hopeful that he could induce a change. She marveled at the dichotomy that was this man. Here, he showed such tenderness that she had never seen, even as a child growing up on Earth. And it was coming from one of the most ruthless killers she knew, who belonged to the most hardened species in the galaxy. Perhaps this is what he truly meant by being a bad turian.

She reached up to touch his scar, her constant reminder of their fateful reunion. "You are that person for me, Garrus. More than you know," Shepard paused at this, also unsure of how to relate her feelings. "I've been called 'hero' more times than I can count, yet I feel so helpless against what is coming. You are my anchor, the person with whom I can be truly honest and trust completely. I'm glad you'll be there; I need you."

Obviously relieved, the turian bent his head, touching his forehead to hers. He purred just loudly enough for her to hear over the hum of the ship.

"I'm yours, then," he crooned.

"To hell and back."


	2. Calm Before the Storm

Following their previous encounter, Shepard and Garrus had been able to spend little time together. The reparations Shepard was attempting to make towards her crew members had taken up the majority of her time. By far, Shepard had enjoyed Kasumi's the most; seeing the relics from old civilizations, including her own, had reminded her for what they were fighting. Coming back with a renewed spirit, and hopefully, a better outlook towards their final mission, Shepard had made great strides towards making everyone at ease with confronting the Collectors.

She still couldn't shake the feeling, though, that they were still all going through the relay to a trap. The Collectors had been there at her death, and had followed her since her reconstruction. It seemed as if they were angry that they had been thwarted and insisted that she return to the dead. Shepard, however, was going to fight with all she had to make sure that it didn't happen.

"Again," Shepard remarked caustically, finishing her thoughts aloud. Filling her glass with her last remaining vice, she put down the liquor bottle and moved towards her couch.

"Give me that," a voice admonished, its three-fingered hand taking the glass from her. "You've already had a glass, and I'd like you to stay conscious for the next five minutes, at least."

"Jesus, Garrus," Shepard jumped at his sudden remark and removal of her drinking glass, "I thought you had gone back downstairs." He gave her an incredulous look before she remarked, "I was just thinking about us going through the relay tomorrow, and about the Collectors."

"Stop thinking about that. Please, for one night. Focus on something else." He sat down suggestively on the couch, delicately swirling the liquid in the glass before draining it. "And I believe I said I'd only be gone for a moment, not for the rest of the night."

Shepard wrinkled her nose at the turian, though appreciative of the fact that he liked her company without her being befuddled by liquor. She sat down on the couch next to him, removing the glass from his fingers and setting it down on the table.

"I suppose you mean I should focus on you, hmm?"

"I said no such thing," he paused. "But I don't think it would be a bad idea."

He reached forward, pulling at her waist, eager to feel her soft flesh again. Their previous encounter that evening had been cautious, if not a bit awkward. Nerves had caught up with them, and while the overall experience had been enjoyable, the majority of the time had been spent exploring each other.

She was so different than anything he had ever been with before. She had this fire, a warmth that was unparalleled; he could feel her gaze on him, studying his anatomy, desiring every bit. His heart beat faster, his blood beginning to boil in his veins at the thought of being with her again. Her hands reached up under his tunic, feeling the hard plates on his back, tracing the outlines between them, and pressing down slightly on the soft spots. His nerves twitched when she did that, sending the message to his brain that his vulnerable areas had been exposed. Garrus was too enthralled with her to heed.

Shepard reached up and redirected his head so that they were face-to-face. Her eyebrows furrowed, unsure of how to proceed with her objective. "How do I... I mean, how do turians..." she faltered, unsure of how to breach the topic.

"We don't. At least, not as humans do. Our lips don't move the same ways yours do; they're not as flexible. I've never even thought about..." Garrus stopped.

She smiled, understanding his nervousness. Slowly, she moved her head forward, arching her neck for her face to meet his. His breath was hot on her face, it coming faster as she neared. Holding a half inch away from his lips, she stalled, looking into his eyes for reassurance. His arms wrapped around her, his hands at her back, supporting her stretch towards him. She closed her eyes, finally pressing her lips against his. The sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt before. His lips were rough, but smooth at the same time. Tough, yet plush. He could make no movement back towards her save for the edges flaring out slightly. She pulled away, unsure of the experience.

"So that's a kiss. It's wet." Garrus looked at Shepard for guidance.

"Well, the inside of our mouth is coated with saliva. A little gets transferred with each kiss. More can be, depending on the type of kiss," Shepard explained.

"There are different types?"

"Two basic types: a regular kiss, using only the lips, and the French kiss, where you use your tongues. How do turians show affection?" The two separated from each other slightly, though still sitting closely on the couch.

"We don't touch often through normal actions with another turian. Just physically touching another is showing either respect or affection for that person. Depending on where you touch them shows your intentions. Handshakes and the touching of shoulders shows respect. Romantic interest is through the waist..." he paused, wondering whether to explain further. Seeing Shepard's solicitous expression, he continued, "and the touching of foreheads is reserved for your mate," Garrus's mandibles flared slightly at the last sentence, and his eyes averted hers.

She smiled at him, and pulled him closer, this time by the waist. "Then, thank you. For earlier. I knew it was special, but I didn't realize just how much," Shepard said, "You mean everything to me, Garrus. I don't know how else to describe it. I..." she stopped, searching for the right words.

"It's ok," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, " I understand."

Shepard looked into her turian's eyes, and was content with his acceptance. She leaned forward, touching her forehead to his, replicating the action he had done earlier. Closing her eyes, a feeling of peace and tranquility enveloped her. If nothing else, she knew she would be facing tomorrow with a feeling of fulfillment that no Collector could take.


	3. Absolution

Garrus settled himself into his cot for the night, making sure that his rifle was still nestled underneath his pillow. Jack was still crazy by his standards, and although the biotic may be loyal to his mate, the courtesy did not necessarily extend to him. Garrus cursed himself silently for using that word again. It had been only two weeks since the group had gone through the Omega-4 relay, and he and Shepard had spent their first night together. Yet, Garrus found himself calling her his mate. He had vowed to let the relationship progress slowly, given the extenuating circumstances of the two being different species, and the small fact that the Reaper fleet was intent on destroying all sapient life. And still, here he was, calling Shepard his mate in his thoughts.

Garrus never entered into relationships lightly. The rendezvous with the scout about which he had told Shepard had been different. Tension had needed to be released, and his previous animosity towards her and the nerves about the forthcoming mission were exercised in a socially appropriate manner. Especially since the violent route had already been attempted, and consequently failed. But here he was, with a human. A human whom he considered his last friend in the galaxy; one he respected not as a member of her species, but instead as a fellow sapient lifeform. Turians usually regarded humans as hotheaded, aggressive beings, with little value beyond their intense, if short-lived, passion. While he had never much prescribed to this notion in the first place, Shepard had still shown him a side to the species about which he had never heard.

Mordin had, thankfully, over-dramatized the consequences of a turian-human coupling, and the two had found no major adverse reactions in their experiments thus far. Besides the awkwardness of the initial contact, and slight use of antihistamines when the doctor's orders weren't followed exactly, the two enjoyed each other's company. They had settled into a regular routine of sly side-glances and small smiles exchanged through normal conversation in between their night excursions. Of course, the rest of the crew had already picked up on the brewing relationship and gave them a wide berth and plenty of privacy aboard the ship. Only Kasumi openly acknowledged and spoke about the pair, encouraging the romance every chance she got. EDI had even disengaged the monitoring devices in the main battery and captain's cabin, explaining that although she was intelligent, she had no use for such intimate knowledge of her crewmates.

"Officer Vakarian, the commander requires your presence in the captain's quarters." EDI interrupted his thoughts.

"Requires?" Garrus asked of her. Garnering no response, he submitted, "Thanks, EDI," and pushed himself off the floor. It was late, and the more populated day shift crew had already retired to their private quarters or the bunks in the crew's quarters. He made his way past the dining tables, grimacing slightly at the smell of the leftover slop that Rupert had cooked earlier. Shaking his head at the probability that human food would never smell appetizing to him, even if it were the best available, he got into the elevator.

Garrus entered Shepard's quarters to find her reading a datapad, head in her hands. Knowing what emotions caused humans to do that intriguing posture led him to her side, where he placed one of his hands on her shoulder and squeezed. She looked up at him, an unreadable look on her face. Without a word, he led her to he couch, sat her down, and put his arm around her waist.

"There's been an attack on a colony," she said quietly, after a few minutes.

"What? But we destroyed the Collector base! And the Reapers could not be here yet," Garrus turned and looked at her incredulously.

"Somehow it happened. We know Harbinger is out there, and must have somehow been able to rally someone, or something, to its side. Perhaps it's acting on its own, now that we've destroyed its means of creating that other Reaper." Shepard sat for a moment, unsure how to continue. She trusted the turian completely, but had mixed feelings about telling him the next piece of information.

"We'll just have to go after it. The Reapers must be stopped; maybe Cerberus-"

"It's a turian colony, Garrus. Cerberus will most likely ignore it, Reapers or no," Shepard finished. His fingers continued their usual tracings on her waist, and she felt no change in his posture. Still, he didn't respond. "Though, they did let the message through their email filters," she added halfheartedly.

"Where was the colony? We should have heard about it through Galactic news."

"The e-mail said it was not an official colony from the Hierarchy's perspective, and was located in the Terminus systems. They were attempting to create their own colony so that they would no longer be clanless. Settling in the Terminus systems and being the only turian colony-if they'd survived-would've been a feat. They were probably hoping to gain standing." Shepard shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I'm only relaying the information I heard."

Garrus's mandibles were twitching slightly, and a look of intense calculation and analysis was on his face. The reasoning to create such a colony seemed more like an impulse-driven human decision more than the precision he expected from his species. They were masters of self-control, obedient to their superiors. But, he figured, if he could be a bad turian, there could be others. The clanless were certainly looked upon with enough derision that a few might decide to go rogue and challenge the Hierarchy. But attempting to settle a colony in the Terminus systems?

"I don't know," Garrus said finally. "It seems too illogical for turians to do such a thing. Even the Separatists do not make colonies. We need to check this information. We're well versed in the Terminus systems now, and we have no immediate objectives. I need to see for myself." He looked down at her, his statement more of a command than a request.

"We're already on our way," she smiled up at him, glad she understood him as well as she thought.

* * *

"Commander, we've arrived at the colony. There's a small landing zone on the far side; we'll drop the Kodiak there."

"Thanks, Joker." Shepard looked over at Garrus, who was sitting on the opposite side of the shuttle, lost in thought. He looked out the window, eyes scanning the design-clearly turian-of the colony, mind finally starting to believe that the information had been real.

"Commander," Thane started in low tones, "will he be all right with this mission?"

Shepard turned to the drell and nodded. "So far, the Reapers have only hit human colonies, save the Citadel. Eden Prime. Horizon. Freedom's Progress. New Canton. We haven't heard them hitting other species. It's difficult to understand, even for us, why they would change their target so suddenly. Think about if they hit Kahje. You'd have a difficult time with it, too, I imagine."

"I understand. Maybe some good can come out of this; perhaps the Council will actively participate in the fight against the Reapers," Thane added hopefully.

"We'll have to find evidence of them first; something that could not have possibly come from anything other than Reaper tech. No geth, no Collectors, just Harbinger and his... friends," the turian spat out the last words as he thought aloud.

"We will. We're bringing the fight to them, and every species they involve is just another ally for us," Shepard replied.

The turian didn't respond, and turned to look out the window again as they made their way to the landing zone.

* * *

The three found no opposition in the colony. The settlement in which they had landed had been decimated. Houses were burning; bodies were strewn about in the streets in such a way that made even Shepard nauseous. There had been no hope, no recourse for the colonists. Scorch marks continued in a perfect line from ground to roof to ground again. The attacker had never even sent troops to ground, opting instead to remain airborne and torture its victims in cat-and-mouse laser chases. Shepard walked to a particular group-what seemed like a family unit. She had never seen a female turian, and regretted this was her first encounter.

The female turian was lithe, supple, and only slightly more slender than the male. She was shorter by a few inches, but no less powerful or fearsome. The same facial structure was present, though the cheekbones were not quite as wide and her mandibles did not extend past her chin. Her green eyes stared out, a determination set in them that even death could not erase. She had clan markings of a style Shepard had never seen. Simplistic in nature, the tattoos were thin lines in bright green following the plates above her eyes to the tips of her fringe. They were delicate, but resolute. Garrus walked over to the family and knelt.

"This should not have happened. Harbinger, or whoever, should not be here, attacking a lone colony. There's no military here, no hope. This is just wrong," the turian's eyes were hard as they looked over the family. "Spirits, Shepard, what are we going to do?"

"The Council cannot deny this. Even if it is outside Citadel space, they will not ignore an attack on a second council species. They have to start listening."

"We should take evidence of the attack. The Council will not believe you on words alone," Thane spoke up.

"You're right. We'll have to take video from the Normandy with since ground troops were deployed. Hopefully, they will see the truth this time," Shepard agreed. "Joker, make sure you get evidence of this atrocity."

"Aye, aye, Commander," Joker clicked out as the trio head back to the shuttle.

* * *

The pair sat for a while, sipping idly at glasses of wine. They sat apart in Shepard's quarters, the Commander on the edge of the bed, the turian on the couch. She wasn't sure how to approach him after the day's events. She knew that her first experience with an attack on a human colony was jarring. To have a settlement, once thought safe, so easily and handily conquered and destroyed was upsetting not only to one's sense of safety, but to the overall sense of justice in the universe. Before, things always seemed balanced; if the scales started to tip, something would set them straight again. But since the scales had started to tip recently, they had never corrected themselves. They now always seemed off.

Shepard drained her glass, walked over to the table and set it down. Suddenly, she was enveloped in the turian's arms. He pulled her at her waist, drawing her closer to him. His head touched hers, his breath hot on her face. She reached up, placing her hand on the scars from their reunion.

"You're all that's left now, Shepard. All that's left that's right."

Shepard looked into her turian's eyes and searched. She saw the pain he carried: the betrayal of Sidonis still had weight, the upcoming battle against the whole of the Reaper horde. "I'm not leaving your side, " she said. "That's why I told you about the colony attack; it's why I'm here. You're my mate."

Garrus could not hide his shock from her statement, even if he had wanted. He pulled away a bit so he could gauge her emotions by her whole face. She was sincere.

She smiled up at him, and pulled away. By the time Shepard had reached the bed, her uniform was on the floor, and the still-shocked turian was in the midst of pulling off his own. She pulled him down to her, reaching to find the sensitive area between the plates on his back and hips. Gently, she drew circles with her nails on the bit of skin left open on his side. His reaction was immediate: a breath came from him as his heartbeat increased in speed and blood started flowing to certain areas of his anatomy.

With now-practiced hands, he started to work on her, gently pinching and pulling her nipples. Shepard moaned in response, and her knees bent as she pulled her feet from the floor to the edge of the bed. Her right hand, which had not been useful quite yet, went to the nub between her legs. Garrus, unwilling to let her go that easily, took it away and held it down next to her, a smile spreading across his face.

Shepard looked at him with determination, unwilling to accept the transgression and stopped her workings. Taking the advantage that his head wasn't swimming anymore via the decrease in flow of adrenaline through his body, he took one of her legs in his arms and pressed it against her body, leaving her open and vulnerable. One of her hands now free, she went again to the aching spot between her legs. Once again, the turian stole her hand and held it down, forcing her to endure the tightness of her body's anticipation. His own was starting to become painful as he delayed his entrance.

Using her free leg and wrenching her arm from under his, she pulled him closer, her deliverance fully extended from its host. Her body's fervor was becoming vexatious, and his resistance was bordering on annoying. Resolved to have her way, she started working on his most sensitive area, pulling him towards her with every stroke. Blinded by blood flow and desire, his entrance was forceful and complete, his initial tameness eradicated in one swift movement.

She screamed in response, the forcefulness of his accession nearly sending her to her climax. She arched her back as he reached around her, holding her up, burying his face in her breasts as he relented into her. He wanted her to accept him entirely. He wanted to overtake her. He wanted to consume her, body and soul. She shuddered around him, her cleft tightening around his shaft as a warmth flooded their joining. He slowed his ministrations for a moment, relaxing his embrace and allowing her heat to somewhat dissipate.

Knowing her mate's intentions, Shepard dug her nails into his hip's soft flesh, tracing the circles that plunged him into desirous insanity. Accepting the signal, he pulled her hips towards the edge of the mattress, and the turian drove into her again, relentless and unforgiving. Her toes curled around his leg spurs as she turned her hips upward to meet his thrusts, anxious for his coming. She shuddered again, violently, as she came once more, her release dripping on the sheets below. The tightness of her climax tortured him as he fought off oblivion, and slowed once more.

Garrus's eyes locked with Shepard's, and the two shared a look of perfect understanding. Neither were complete. Each needed the other. She reached up to hold the back of his neck and the two touched foreheads as he started in again, more gently. He curled into her, penetrating her completely with each slow stroke. Her walls tightened with each beat of his rhythm until he could not hold in his release any longer. He surrendered into her, the entirety of his being felt as if it were becoming part of her in the process.

His consciousness returned to find her back down on the bed, a coy smile across her face. He laid down on his side, facing her, and she put her leg around him, as if in declaration of her claim.

"Now you can't leave either. We each have a part of the other," she said.

"Who would have thought I'd find absolution in a human?" Garrus chuckled as she playfully used her leg to push him on his back in faux retort. He pulled her closer in response, sleep quickly overtaking his higher brain functions.

Shepard made only a small noise at his question, but moved her leg to a move comfortable position between his as she nestled closer to him. She felt more at peace with him than any of her previous lovers, and briefly considered the same question about him before losing herself to sleep.


	4. Revelations

Shepard woke to find her nose greeted by the heady scent of sex from her endeavours the previous night. Taking in the smell from her pillow one last time before she rose, she turned to see the shapeless form of her mate. He was sprawled on top of the bottom sheet-as was her custom, Shepard had stolen the covers during the night-breathing deeply and peacefully. Last night's professions had calmed them about the previous day's events, and Shepard was at peace with the current opposition. As long as she had her turian next to her.

"EDI?"

"Yes, Commander," EDI's voice responded as her form appeared next to the door.

"Tell everyone to meet in the comm room at 0800," Shepard said.

"Yes, Commander." EDI replied, and she disappeared as Shepard stepped into the shower.

"Your species and showers. It's like you can never get clean enough," Garrus smacked Shepard's rear as she jumped from his voice.

"Stop sneaking up on me! You're supposed to still be sleeping off your exertions," she hit him lightly on the shoulder to emphasize her protest.

"Turians have to get clean, too," he grinned as the bathroom door closed behind him.

* * *

The crew watched the footage from the remnants of the colony with trepidation. Some had open mouths, others had grim expressions on their faces. During the viewing, Garrus had leaned against the wall behind Shepard, averting his eyes from the video. Kasumi had sidled her way to Jacob's side, and Zaeed had found his way to be slightly closer to Miranda. She kept glancing over her shoulder, sending the mercenary warnings that could've frozen his heart solid if he hadn't been staring at another part of her anatomy.

"How did you hear about this?" Miranda asked, stepping back directly on Zaeed's toes.

Shepard was stunned at her question. Nothing happened on the ship without Miranda's knowledge. Not since she had reinstalled some of the listening devices deactivated since EDI's break with Cerberus. "You didn't let it through?" Shepard asked of the former Cerberus officer.

"No, EDI has done a sufficiently superior job with filtering what I can get into on the ship's networks," she said as she eyed the AI's physical representation in the center of the room.

"It seems the Shadow Broker thought it fit that you see the information, Commander. She asked me to relay the information to you," EDI offered.

"And you didn't tell me about this before?" Shepard raised an eyebrow at the blue form.

"You didn't ask," EDI responded, after a moment.

"Fine. What are your thoughts on the cause of this?" Shepard motioned to the whole of the congregation.

"It wasn't the Collectors, obviously. This isn't their style," Zaeed suggested, moving a safe distance away from the object of his previous preoccupation.

"It could not be the geth. We would not venture this far and needlessly attack an organic settlement," Legion said, his head panels flaring at the subsequent scoff from Tali.

"While I disagree with its last statement, this is certainly not how the geth would attack," Tali added.

"We are not an 'it.' There are currently 1183-"

"I already know, and I still don't care. If you-"

"Stop it." Shepard slammed her fist down on the console in front of her. "We have bigger problems-still-to worry about than your differences. If you two would stop bickering and start listening to each other, you might see that there's a larger world, and you both have valid points. Now, other opinions on who might have done this to the colony?"

Throughout the next few minutes of discussion, all known races of sapient life were discounted, including the rachni and yahg.

"That just leaves the Reapers. So, they must have done it. But no one has seen any ships of Reaper make in the galaxy yet," Jacob said.

"No reports have been made, you mean. It doesn't mean they're not here," Miranda retorted.

"It is not the Reapers."

Every person stared aghast at the diminutive figure that had just spoken. She stared out at the group, sure of her statement.

"How do you know, Kasumi?" Shepard asked.

"Keiji's graybox. He told me it was secret worth dying for, and something in which I should not meddle. I see now why he said it. Shepard, the Alliance has the technology for this type of attack. They had a sect that was working on high-level weapons systems. Weapons systems that would be able to decimate a target from space. Without the use of ground troops. The research was originally for the First Contact War, but continued even after the truce between us and the turians. This is why Keiji died," she explained.

"We worked _with_ the Alliance in building the first Normandy, and they were still working on technology that was meant to destroy us?" Garrus flared at her statement. Shepard placed a hand on his shoulder as the turian began to pace in the comm room.

"Well, fuck me. The Alliance does have some balls," Jack chortled. In the next second, she was against the wall, pinned behind the armored arm of the turian, one of her own arms behind her to prevent her from using her biotics.

"Taking advantage of a supposed ally is not bravery, but cowardice. You should not be lauding their efforts to exploit an apparent alliance. It's no better than preying on the weak and helpless like some common merc!" Garrus spat at the human.

"You should have never let your guard down! Always expect someone to come after you, even your allies. You should know that by now, especially after your run-in with that other scaly friend of yours. What was his name, Sidonis? Hell, you can't even trust anyone from your own species, why trust one from another?" Jack grinned as the turian's mandibles flared and his eyes became blue fire.

"Enough! Both of you! Officer Vakarian, stand down. Jack, shut the fuck up." Shepard yelled, her biotic glow warning both to listen. "The rest of you are dismissed; to your stations."

Garrus reluctantly let go of the female human, and Jack begrudgingly massaged the back of her head where it had hit against the wall. The two eyed each other as if they were both expecting the other to launch into a full attack, and neither relaxed from the combat-ready stance.

"What the hell are you two thinking?" Shepard started.

"I-"

"Not now, Vakarian. Both of you need to rein in the anger you feel for the enemy. Jack, hold the comments for your own free time, and for people who give a shit. Vakarian, the emotions need to stay in check; you have outlets, use them," Shepard's eyes warned Jack not to comment on the last bit or face dire consequences.

"Yes, ma'am," the two said.

"Jack, you're dismissed," Shepard's purple glow faded as the fellow biotic left the room. "Listen, she was out of line, but you-"

"Have outlets," Garrus finished and slammed her against the wall as he ripped off his CO's uniform. He snarled as she half-fought against his advance, ignoring her nails digging into the thin strips of skin between his back plates. He breathed hot on her neck, his tongue concurrently licking the thin skin just under her jawbone. Feeling her resolve begin to weaken, he stripped off his own uniform and waited for her breath to quicken and knees to part.

Her hand fell from his back, no longer resisting his labors. She capitulated, tracing a small circle with her nail on his hip. Recognizing the signal, he lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his waist, balancing on his leg spurs. His entrance was complete and all at once, and she shuddered as his forcefulness sent her immediately to the brink of consciousness. Shepard had not realized that the primal side of the turian had turned her on so completely.

He set a quick pace, sheathing himself completely with each stroke, uncaring to her current state. She cried out several times during the coupling as he sent her over the edge and back again. He had not forced himself on her, but he did not stop once he started. Shepard had lost count at her own frequency of releases, and she was soon a puddle of emptiness, unable to respond to his unrelenting penetrations.

"You're mine," he softly purred into her ear. His voice was husky, raw from his exertions and emotions, yet the tone was gentle. Still, it was not a request or even a command. It was fact. She belonged to him.

Shepard could only moan unconvincingly in response, her mouth open and dry as she gasped for breath. She clung to him, arms wrapped around his neck, legs still open in welcome, but quickly losing all strength.

"Say it!" he ordered, bringing her head up to stare into her face. She stared back at him, mind fuzzy from the amount of chemicals her body had released in the past half hour. "Say it," he said again, more softly, but still as resolutely.

"I'm yours," she sighed as another wave of delirium washed over her, and she descended into oblivion once more. He roared as he finally climaxed, his release filling her and then running down his leg. He panted, suddenly exhausted, both emotionally and physically. He held her trembling frame, feeling rather unsteady himself. Burying his face in her neck, he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Shepard. I shouldn't have taken you like that."

"If I hadn't wanted you, it wouldn't have happened," Shepard chuckled, as she regained her breath and her body glowed faintly purple. "I didn't say those words to Jack for just any reason."

Garrus smiled at her, fully understanding just how special this woman was. She had used him for strength in her attempt to repair relations with her crew before the suicide mission, and now she was letting him use her for similar reasons.

"Yes, ma'am," he submitted, as she slowly dressed herself again.

"I'll bring some cleaning supplies; you're dirty again," she said, looking at the disheveled turian. He laughed at her as she stared at her handiwork.

"Now I see why humans need so many showers."


	5. Double Edged Sword

Shepard stood for a moment at the doorway to the port-side observation deck. The Alliance? They had definitely created some risky plans during the First Contact War: the reconnaissance probes with a nuclear payload first came to mind, one of which Shepard had decommissioned for the human organization. Those probes had not been in use, though, since the war ended, and so perhaps the research on the space assault weapon had also ended. However, if the Alliance had continued the work, and wanted it kept secret, only the Shadow Broker or a master thief would be able to uncover it.

"And it seems they did," Shepard said aloud. Unable to delay the meeting any longer than she already had, she walked into the room.

"Shepard." Kasumi's greeting was not as light-hearted as it usually was, though her usual smile still graced her face. "I've queued up the files for you to review." Her omni-tool lit up as she activated her former lover's graybox to transfer the information.

"The schematics for the weapon are there, along with some communication between key people that proves the work is from the Alliance. Some of the people involved did have some semblance of a conscience, so talk about the origin of the project and its intention is there, as well. It's as much of a complete history of the Xifos Project as you're going to find," Kasumi explained as she uploaded the files to Shepard's omni-tool.

"Thanks, Kasumi," Shepard said, slowly moving towards the door. "I'm glad we didn't destroy his graybox when we found it. We should be able to use the information to bring justice to those who died by this weapon." Shepard stopped, and started back towards the thief. "Have you heard anything about this other than what's in Keiji's graybox? I want us to be wrong. I want this information to be old. I'm hoping that somebody else stole the technology and is using it for their own purposes. A lot of people still have a grudge towards the turians, and, so, maybe it's not the Alliance. I want to get revenge for the bastards who did this, but I still hope it's not the Alliance."

"I hear a lot of things, Commander. I heard about Pressly's initial reaction to the aliens you brought aboard the first Normandy. I heard about his eventual change of heart, but I also know that Saren has been painted as the main threat in the attack on the Citadel. That hurt humanity's disposition towards turians. Not to mention, the turian councilor seems to express consistent condescension towards humans, and its something Udina references quite a bit in his transmissions to Earth. Some people are not above making an example with innocent lives."

Shepard nodded at the other human's valid points. Her past dealings with anti-alien groups, especially Terra Firma, had taught her that not everyone had an open mind. Her former crewmates' qualms about her alien-populated squad also resonated loudly with the trust issues she felt were deeply set within her species.

"Thanks again, Kasumi," Shepard smiled as she turned and headed out of the observation deck. Though she was unsure about how its operator would handle the information, the commander headed towards the main battery. The turian was the weapons expert on the ship, had designed and installed the Thanix cannon, and certainly the best person to determine the power of the weapon involved, but Shepard still was uneasy about revealing the information to him. His calculating nature was one of his greatest strengths, but it sometimes led to him overthinking a situation; he was routinely caught obsessing over calibrations so that the exact right action was performed at the exact right moment. During one of their decidedly non-work-related interactions, Shepard had seen him calculating his actions, and promptly smacked him for it.

Shepard entered the main battery to find her mate standing in his normal position, calibrating the Normandy's weapons. Hearing the door open, he turned to face the intruder. His annoyed expression changed to one of welcome, but his brow plates were still furrowed as he greeted her entrance.

"Shepard," the turian stated.

"I have the weapon schematics from Kasumi. I thought you would want to take a look at them; see what you can make of it. We're on our way to see Liara to find out if she has any other information to offer."

He nodded at her, and she activated her omni-tool to transfer the data to his. While the files flashed across the screen, she looked at him. His features were hard and did not reveal his emotional state. The usual relaxed nature he displayed around her was not present, but was replaced with a formal awkwardness and stiffness. He was careful not to catch her gaze, and his eyes flicked between the screens as he brought up the data on his console.

"I'll let you know when I find something," he declared, still looking at his console. "You'll probably want to go over the rest of the data before we reach Hagalaz."

Shepard didn't move or speak, but remained seated in the corner of the room, looking at him. He stopped working after a moment, and placing his hands on the console, he sighed. Using the human expression in the hope that she would understand, Garrus hung his head and closed his eyes. Shepard took his hand in hers and squeezed just hard enough so that he would feel it through his heavy armor. Her hand left, and he heard the door behind him open as she exited the battery.

* * *

Shepard sat at her desk, reading over the information she had gathered from Kasumi. On her datapad, she was making a list of the important details: people, dates, connections to other projects, and questions she still had. Sipping from her wine glass, she marveled at the secrecy the Alliance had managed to keep. Xifos was a major project, with two dozen researchers each on two separate bases in otherwise peaceful colonies. Both colonies were markedly close to turian outposts, and many of the researchers had family that died in the First Contact War. Coincidences kept occurring through her analysis of the data that made it difficult to believe this recent attack had not come from the project.

Draining her glass, Shepard rose to pour herself more of the fiery red liquid. As she did so, she heard the cabin door whir open and her turian enter. He stood at the top of the stairs, unmoving, but visibly upset. Shepard quietly poured him a glass of the wine, set it on the table, and then sat on the couch. His curled hand trembled as he stood, and his mandibles twitched as his eyes moved back and forth between two invisible spots on the floor. His entire body was tense, his mind filled with whatever information he had uncovered and was now torturing him. Shepard set her glass down on the table, the small clink it made woke the turian from his thoughts.

He looked at her finally, as if he had just noticed he was in her cabin and she was there. He slowly strode down the steps, picked up the wine glass and drained its contents.

"You're a bad influence on me," he said finally, motioning towards the glass and quickly giving her a small smile. His expression changed, however, as he started in on his findings.

"The weapon they created is nothing short of crazy. It takes an entire warship and modifies it for a single purpose. The defenses are stripped, there's no cargo hold, nothing but the systems for the weapon and accommodations for the most basic needs of the crew. The pulse delivered by the cannon instantly kills those within 100 kilometers, and the secondary firing method, a continuous laser, incinerates those the pulse missed. An entire settlement can be wiped out within a matter of minutes. It's the equivalent to the pulse we could have delivered on the Collector Base, but it's mobile and rechargeable."

"How in the hell did they manage that?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not sure, but it took time, money, and a lot of failures. They were sloppy and left part of their failed attempts behind in the work. It may not be clean, but it's stable. As far as I can tell, only one was created."

"Perhaps Liara can help us find it. And who's running it," Shepard offered.

"Perhaps," he started. After a moment, he blurted, "I'm sorry about earlier." Faltering, he looked away and stared at the empty aquarium. "It's just that..." he started to face her before rethinking his action, and turned away again. She got up and walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. The action was like hitting a release button, and he began verbalizing his stream of consciousness.

"Every time I see you, I'm reminded of the fire you keep. You have this source within you that never burns out, that never blanches. Even when you're pissed off, you have an intensity that draws others towards you. You motivate, inspire, lead with just your presence. It's what drew me to you in the first place. Your desire to vanquish the enemy and right the wrongs," he turned and stroked her arm with his hand. He stopped again, retracting his hand and drawing away from her.

"Since I saw the devastation at the colony, I feel like tearing apart everything that comes near me. I'm angry at the Alliance for their arrogance. And ignorance. I'm furious with everyone who agrees with them about us. I'm offended by those in power who do nothing to fix the injustices. I want to go out and tear them to pieces, use their own weapons against them and make them suffer. When I see you now, it only intensifies that need. And you..." he looked at her for a split second before turning away once more. His hands curled into tight fists, and he was visibly shaking.

"I can't control myself around you now. You feed whatever this is, make it stronger. We need to find these bastards so I can take my emotions out on _them_ and not on you. _They_ deserve the anger, the frustration, the torment. And you encourage these feelings. With your very presence, your smile, your attempts to comfort me. And when you ask me to use you for strength or for..." he paused as he noticed his body's reactions to his imagination.

Shepard had moved back to the couch during his speech and was currently nursing her third serving of wine. She smiled at him, and replied, "Garrus, I'm a big girl. I can give as good as I get, you should know that. I am not just some squishy human who thinks turians are exotically sexy. I'm with you because of who you are. The sexy part is just a perk," her eyes smiled at him as she finished her wine. "I ask of you only what you asked of me. So, please, trust that I know what I'm doing."

He digested her words slowly, but was noticeably calmer, and took the proffered glass from his mate. He sipped it more slowly this time, enjoying the liquid burning down his throat and settling happily into his stomach. He sat down on the couch, involuntarily pulling at the tight collar of his armor.

Shepard languidly stretched her legs over the lap of the turian, flexing her toes before settling them into a position where the big toe was crossed over the two adjacent to it. "You know," she started, "we still have some time before we reach Liara's base." Garrus looked over at her, a small glint in his eyes showing he was aware of where she was headed. "And that armor looks awfully uncomfortable," she continued.

"Spirits, Shepard. You're going to be the death of me."


	6. Provocation

"We can't go to the Council now. Telling them that humans are responsible for the destruction of a turian colony does no one any good. We have to take care of this ourselves, destroy the evidence, the people, and the tech responsible," Miranda argued.

"We can't just go up to the warship and say 'Hey, guys, can you please let us destroy that ship you're on? You know, the one you've spent the last 28 years perfecting,'" Joker offered.

"But it's slow. It's a ship made to conquer planetary colonies, not a small stealth frigate that has a bitch of a cannon herself. Look, those engines are clearly not going to move the weight of that ship around deftly. She's a tank: powerful, but slow. And Garrus himself says she has no defenses," Miranda motioned towards the holo in the middle of the comm room that showed the pieced-together schematics of the Xifos Project's warbird.

"The information is older than is preferable; Keiji got the data close to five years ago now, so there might be changes," Kasumi said.

"Liara, any news from your sources?" Shepard asked.

"One of my cells found the colony and so I sent the news to you, but I was trusting that you would find the culprit. I am sorry I cannot be of more help," Liara apologized.

On hearing of Shepard's newfound information, Liara had offered to come aboard the Normandy again to meet with its squad. She had done very well in her new position as Shadow Broker, seamlessly transitioning the information business to finding strange occurrences, disappearances, and slowly "leaking" information about the upcoming Reaper threat than brokering political secrets. Of course, silencing some of the more vocal proponents of anti-alien policies and general bigotry had its uses and several of her cells were dedicated to those concerns.

"You have been a wonderful help already. Who knows what would have happened if somebody else found it first, and no one can afford a war between the humans and the turians. If the Hierarchy found out..." Shepard started. Everyone present had finished the thought themselves, and the Commander looked to the only member of the other species in the room.

Garrus was silent, but composed. He knew all too well what would happen if a full-on war came about between the two species again. There would be no peace, and one-or both-of the species would fall. He knew they were the only group that could effectively keep this secret and neutralize the threat at the same time. War did nobody good, and the galactic races needed to be allies for the battle against the Reapers.

"It wasn't long after the colony was attacked that we arrived, so the ship can't be more than three days' distance from the original colony. EDI, are there any turian colonies within that distance from the original attack?"

"None," the AI replied.

"There is another colony on a planet about five days' distance. It wouldn't be in anyone's records. Rumors of Separatist colonies are prevalent among turians, but no one believes them. The Separatist groups are only political, though they operate much like the Blue Suns or Eclipse. Assuming the Xifos Project ship's FTL drive still works the way in which it was originally designed, if we leave now, we should be able to get there at about the same time."

Several shocked glances were thrown the speaker's way; no one expected Garrus to take part in the conversation. He stepped forth from his position in the shadows, and used his omni-tool to upload the coordinates to EDI.

"Joker, set a course for these coordinates. Everyone else, prepare yourselves for what looks to be an interesting chain of events," Shepard directed.

* * *

Settled in one of the only listening device-free areas of the ship, the three former crewmates sat apart from each other in the room. Liara had seated herself on the corner of the couch closest to the stairs; Garrus was leaning up against the aquarium. Shepard sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped with her elbows on her knees.

"If the Alliance was attacking the turians, why would they attack a Separatist colony?" Shepard asked the two.

"Separatists don't make colonies. They're political groups, like I said, even if they do commit some decidedly aggressive acts towards the rest of us. They might have bases, but not colonies," the turian offered.

"Perhaps that is why it was out here, in the Terminus systems. To protect the families," Liara said, "It would make sense for the group to foster their own children and make them grow up to believe Separatist views rather than have to constantly turn adults towards their cause."

"I told you, it's not," the turian muttered.

"Let's assume that it is a Separatist colony," The turian opened his mouth in protest, but Shepard raised a hand to stop him. "Why would the Alliance attack it?" Shepard redirected.

"Humans hate turians, and we hate them. The Relay 314 Incident is _recent_ history, and there are many members of each species that are just waiting to find an excuse to go at it again. Getting rid of the other militaristic species in the galaxy makes sense. The turian fleet comprises the majority of the Council's forces. But the humans are the ones that saved the Council. Most humans don't understand or even care that there are problems within the turian government. So, they find a lonely colony, and use it as the catalyst," Garrus explained.

"So you're saying the Alliance is just picking turian colonies at random in the hopes of inciting the Hierarchy?" the Commander asked.

"Who knows what they're doing in the secret areas of the organization? They may very well be preparing for a war between our two species," he fired back.

"You don't know that," she said, staring indignantly at her mate.

"So, how are you two doing?" Liara asked, after a few moments of silence.

Shepard and Garrus both sighed involuntarily at the question, but looked at each other with understanding. He walked over to his human and sat next to her on the bed.

"A human and turian together is unusual in the first place, and now we're having to routinely fight our species. We fought Saren before, and now we're fighting the Alliance."

"We're mated. We'll get through whatever the universe throws at us. Hell is kind of a second home for us now," Shepard smiled, and Garrus laughed.

"It's not even as hot as Palaven," he added, "In fact, it's really kind of nice," motioning to his current surroundings. Shepard hit him on the shoulder in protest, to which he responded by grabbing her hand and holding it. Liara smiled at the pair and shook her head.

"You fit each other well. Now I'm glad you didn't take me up on my 'research' offer back on the first Normandy," the asari winked at the Commander. Shepard blushed in remembering Liara's incessant advances, and her subsequent avoiding of Liara's office for the majority of their time together on the ship.

"I am, and always will be, very happy to call you my friend," Shepard replied, and squeezed her mate's hand a bit tighter.

"Yes, well, I must get back to my base so that I can help you in the best way I know how. Let me know if you need anything, please," the asari rose and smiled at the two. Shepard nodded as she, herself, rose, and watched Liara leave.

"So that's why you were always touchy about her melding minds with you. I thought the process hurt you or something," Garrus said after the asari left. Shepard turned around, placing herself directly in front of the turian. She glowered at him, unhappy at the revelation of a new topic about which the turian could tease her.

"So, it's the blue, right?" he started, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Shepard kneed him in the chest. However, due to the heavy armor that the turian was wearing, he simply started laughing and pulled her in. "I'm only saying, I know it's not the fringe," he continued. She squirmed at this, and fought against his embrace, turning so that her center of gravity made her fall onto the bed.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play this?" Garrus swiftly rolled on top of her, holding himself just far enough away as to not crush her with his armored weight.

She giggled, and relented, "Well, we do fit well together."


	7. The Threat of War

Shepard giggled as a hand snaked its way across her body to pull it closer towards its host. She reached behind her to grasp the thin waist and start teasing her favorite part of the turian's anatomy: his hips. On the first night they were together, Shepard had accidentally raked her nails across her lover's back, and was shocked at the response she had gotten. Apparently, the areas between back plates that shielded turian skin from radiation were packed with nerves, and when scratched in certain ways, sent adrenaline to the brain. Some areas registered pain, but others excited. Since then, she had used the skin between his back and hip plates as a romping ground, teasing the sensitive flesh to drive the turian crazy.

"If you keep doing that, I'll have to retaliate," Garrus said, reaching down to find Shepard's sensitive spot. She giggled again, clenching her powerful leg muscles so he had to work harder to get between them.

"All right, that's it," he said as he lifted himself over her to use her flexibility against her. She attempted to lift herself up to continue her ministrations, but Garrus took her hands in his and pinned them against the mattress. Using his legs, he used his knee to part hers and hold one down against the bed. Transferring his hold on her hands to only one of his, his free hand gently rubbed her now exposed area. Unable to move the majority of her extremities, Shepard simply moaned and started breathing more heavily. With each breath in, her ribs showed through her skin, the odd dimple in her stomach contorting and stretching. The nipples on her breasts darkened in color and rose from the darker ring in her flesh, and the scent from her sex became intoxicating.

"Garrus," she moaned. The lascivious way in which she said his name did near as much to drive the turian crazy as her physical workings on him. His muscles spasmed as he attempted to keep his tension on her hands and legs, but the increased blood flow in his veins was working against him. She noticed his strength weakening, and wrenched her hands free of his and lifted herself up. Using one arm to prop her body at a more convenient angle, she used the other to work on the turian's most sensitive area. Her sex ached with desire, but his was not yet fully extended. She pulled and squeezed gently on the organ, wrapping her fingers around the ribbed flesh that was becoming longer and harder with each of her strokes.

The turian made a sound that was between a growl and a purr, his eyes closing in response to the chemicals being released in his body. His fingers clenched the sheets beneath them, and his elbow wobbled, barely able to resist the urge to collapse completely and give in to the delirium. Shepard wrapped her legs around her mate, and flipped him on the bed. She loomed over him, a smile spreading across her face as she continued her work and admired his reaction to it. His hands grabbed her hips, one of his thumbs now working on her clit.

Feeling his awareness reach its peak, she slowly guided him into her. A guttural sigh came from the pair as each felt the other, and she undulated her hips. She went slowly, using the muscles within her to pull as she rotated upwards, feeling each of the ridges on his member. He thrusted gently upwards as she came down, increasing the sensation for them both, while continuing his previous task. She started moving faster, wanting no more to delay the release for which her body was so desperately aching. Realizing her growing anxiety, Garrus rolled and took control, thrusting faster and more powerfully. Her back arched, hands clenching the sheets at her side, knuckles white with tension. She was holding her breath now, anxious for the climax she knew was coming at any moment. He roared as he attempted to hold his own coming, quickly losing the battle. Suddenly, she cried out, the warmth of her release and clenching of her muscles signaling the turian to surrender to his own body. The explosion of chemicals in his brain forced him into an unconscious ecstasy, and he felt his life being expelled from his body into hers. Dreamily, he thought that was where it belonged in the first place; the act of their coupling only reaffirming her possession of him, and he of her.

Shepard sighed happily as the effects of the chemicals in her body waned and she returned to full consciousness. Garrus laid down at her side, his heart still beating faster than it should, and he breathed heavily. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and nestled his head next to hers, his breath hot on her ears.

"Ah, I don't think I could handle that right now. That's another erogenous zone for humans, and you know that," she admonished, twisting her head away from his. "It'd be like me doing this to you," she said as she started tracing circles on his hip with her nails.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll stop breathing there," he said as he squirmed, and she pulled her hand back. She turned on her side again, and he reached across her, settling his head on her back.

"I just hope we get there in time," he said softly, mind drifting back to their current mission, and he unconsciously pulled her closer.

"So do I," she said as she settled back into the curve of his body.

* * *

"Joker, get us closer to that ship!" Shepard yelled at the lieutenant. The Normandy had come into the Hodros system to find the warship preparing to attack the colony on the planet's surface below. "EDI, get me full scans, and copy the main battery and engineering. I need to know what we're dealing with. Now."

"Yes, Commander. Scans are currently active, but we are too far away for me to hack into their systems. I will keep trying as we get closer."

Shepard made her way back to the elevator and found the turian inside already, his alarmed expression causing her to ask, "What is it?"

"The ship has changed. While firing, she can't move, but the defenses have been heavily upgraded. Even multiple hits from our cannon won't stop her. We need to destroy her from the inside. Disabling the drive core is the only way to do this so that no one gets hurt," he explained hurriedly.

"EDI can't get into their systems from this distance. Can they do anything to us if we get closer?"

"Nothing serious, but there's more. It's not an Alliance design. The Alliance worked with the turians on the first Normandy. Apparently, it wasn't their only collaboration. This is a _turian_ warship," he explained.

"Why would the Alliance be working on a turian design? And for the purpose of attacking the very species that created it?"

"Commander, I have successfully entered the Xifos's systems. There is an airlock through which you could enter on the starboard side of the ship. Once inside, I can direct you to the drive core so that you can disable it," EDI declared.

"We'll find out what the hell is going on soon enough. Let's go," Shepard ordered.

* * *

Shepard, Garrus, and Thane entered the ship to find no immediate resistance. The ship had been stripped of its previous titles, and only bore the word Xifos, hand-scrawled, in the Roman alphabet.

"Commander, you need to find a route past the central chamber of the ship; the drive core is located in the aft of the vessel," EDI's voice filtered through the comm link.

Shepard pulled her Locust from its holster and opened the only other door in the room. A shot immediately flew past her head, and she ducked behind the side of the door. Leaning out of cover, she saw her opposition taken down by a few well-placed shots from her teammates. She advanced into the room, cleanly killing one of the human operatives that had been hiding behind a desk, reloading his thermal clips. The room was set up as an admissions area; storage lockers were placed along the walls to store weapons and otherwise contraband material. The door behind the first desk only hid a hallway with two more doors.

"Which way, EDI?"

"Left, then right."

Shepard followed the AI's directions, her team taking out any resistance as they advanced. In the third room, Shepard knelt down next to a downed operative, and read the datapad at his side.

_Intruders have entered the Xifos. Any hostile is to be dispatched immediately. We must protect the integrity of this ship until we succeed with our mission. If all else fails, fall back to the drive core room._

_-Captain Tulia_

"Well, that doesn't bode well for us easily disabling the thing," Garrus commented.

"We shall just have to take out all opposition," Thane said.

"Yes, we will," Shepard said as she popped out her heatsink.

The trio went through the next few rooms with little difficulty, easily taking out the forces in a few shots each. The rooms they had gone through thus far were dedicated to the basic life support needs of the crew. The kitchen, dining room, and barracks were all sparsely furnished and lacked the basic visual appeal of the normal Alliance vessel. Faint lines of a sparring ring had been present in the crew's quarters, and reminded Shepard of Garrus's talk of turian practices. The turian had noticed, as well, and the two shared a glance that promised of more that night.

"Commander, the next room holds the drive core. There are currently 38 lifeforms residing in the room."

"Ready?" she asked of her companions. They both nodded, and Shepard opened the door.

A barrage of bullets immediately flooded the entryway, and all three of Shepard's crew attempted to find quick cover. Thane's shields went down almost immediately, but he knelt behind a conveniently placed crate until they regenerated. Garrus and the Commander stayed behind the door opening, on either side, and switched to their sniper rifles.

The room in which the drive core was housed was gigantic, but the light of the massive drive core still lit the entire room with ease. It took up at least half the space of the overall ship, and was littered with metal beams and catwalks; wires were exposed along the walls and ceiling A single row of consoles was placed several levels of walkways down, and a makeshift barricade had been created from containers.

It was no use, however, as these three combatants were well used to working together in these types of situations. Thane and Shepard used their biotics to pull enemies into the air, while the turian sniped their helpless forms. In the short cooldown period, Shepard sniped those leaning out of cover, and within minutes, the team had killed all but the captain. Now that the attacking force had largely been subdued, Shepard's team moved closer to their final target, ending up on the same deck as the captain.

"We've killed all your comrades, you might as well give up," Shepard yelled over the crates.

"Not to the likes of you, Commander Shepard. Yes, I know who you are. You and that turian companion of yours. It makes me sick, you cavorting around the galaxy with him. And there are even rumors of you sleeping with that thing. You shouldn't be able to call yourself a human anymore!" the woman retorted.

"Being a human doesn't mean I can go around killing whomever I like. You're using turian technology to attack their innocent civilians. That's cowardice, not patriotism."

"I'm not doing this just for humanity. I'm doing this for the galaxy. Once the Hierarchy finds out about this, it'll be an all-out war. And then we'll crush them!" Tulia's voice was becoming more fervent.

"This isn't a colony recognized by the Hierarchy. Your attacks will do nothing to further your cause except label you as a fanatic," Garrus countered.

"You'd say anything, skull-face," she blasted.

"How does war help humanity? We'd lose hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in a war against the turians. Even if we did win, our numbers would be severely depleted, and we're already looked upon as rabble-rousers by the Council races. Instigating a war would only hurt our image!" the Commander explained.

"I've heard enough. I didn't steal this ship to only have it not complete its mission now. While you've been attempting to stop me, we've been entering the planet's atmosphere. I'm taking you down with me!" the woman laughed maniacally and started firing on Shepard's team. Garrus immediately overloaded her shields, and Thane used his biotics to lift the confused woman off the ground. Standing up from behind the crates, Shepard looked into the captain's eyes before firing several shots directly between them. The woman's body slumped to the ground as the biotic effects wore off, and Garrus rushed to the console.

"Can we stop it?" Shepard looked to the tech while he worked on the console.

"No, she's locked the system down completely. The only thing we can do is get the hell off before we're killed, too," the turian stated solemnly.

With a determined spirit, the team raced their way back towards the fore of the ship and to the airlock. "Joker, get your ass over here now and pick us up!"

"Sure, Commander, because I'm not the best pilot in the galaxy or anything. Oh, that's right, I am," Joker scoffed. "You are _so_lucky to have me," he muttered under his breath.

"I heard that," Shepard said as she rounded the corner into the last hallway before the admissions room. The ship was shuddering violently now, as the massive shape entered the atmosphere at a very inefficient angle. The airlock door flew open, the Normandy's welcoming doors just beyond it. The three sprinted to the doors, and managed to get inside just as Joker pulled away from the doomed vessel.

* * *

The crew watched as the Xifos plummeted to the planet's surface. Before talking with the Commander, Captain Tulia had planned the collision course for the warship to hit the largest of the cities on the colony. The Normandy was safely out of the blast zone when the ship crashed. The resulting explosion from the drive core's impact created a city-sized crater and scorched the surface of the entire planet.

The air on the Normandy was mixed. While every member was proud of their accomplishment of ending the future decimation of colonies, none were happy with how the conflict had ended. News reports later attributed the planet's destruction to a meteor impact, and said nothing of the former colony. Liara had also reported that the Alliance had classified the Xifos Project as a collaboration with the turians since the First Contact War, almost as a beta to the first Normandy. In the past 5 years, it had become a way to destroy geth outposts without losing any ground troops. Since the ship had been stolen, all parties originally involved on the project had quietly cut their ties and moved on to other research.

Liara's team that had originally found the Separatist colonies had also discovered an extranet vid that had been uploaded off-world before the planet had been destroyed. It showed a turian ship tearing across the sky, large pieces breaking off before it finally crashed into the capital city. A split-second before the vid went black, the turian insignia Shepard had seen on the female turian on the first colony was displayed on the screen. Liara had since done her best to wipe the vid's existence, but she reported that the Separatist group Facinus had it and believed it to be a direct attack from the Hierarchy and swore revenge.

* * *

"Facinus will retaliate. They'll find some way to get back at the Hierarchy for this. We may have just started a war," Garrus spat. He had now fully adopted the human expression of hanging his head when he was upset, an action he was displaying now. He looked down and played with the wine glass in his hand.

"But it'd be between the Separatists and the Hierarchy. They're already at war, you've said so yourself. This is better than a war between humans and turians. Right?" Shepard offered.

Garrus looked at his mate, who he knew was only trying to comfort him, and nodded before looking down at his wine glass again. His reason told him that this was better than a war between their two species, but he still felt guilty. He should have seen that the captain was only delaying her death so that she could program the console.

"We did our best. And the events will unfold the way they'll unfold. We stopped what could have been a war between two of the most powerful species in the galaxy, and saved many lives. Just think about what would have happened if Tulia had been able to keep going. She would've attacked more colonies, destroyed more lives," she pulled his chin towards her. He looked at her again, and sighed.

"You're right. I just hope it doesn't impede the rest of my race joining us against the Reapers. We'll need the fleet if we're ever going to have a chance against destroying them," he sighed again, and leaned back against the couch. Shepard turned slightly sideways and reached around behind him, hugging his midsection and clasping her fingers together. She rested her head against his chest, and his arm instinctively went down around her back, his hand on her hip, his fingers absentmindedly tracing designs on her waist.

"Garrus?" Her voice was soft.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" he replied.

"Being a bad turian. I don't think many would contemplate being with a human, and..." she faltered, and sighed. "I'm not sure I could do this without you."

He chuckled, and said, "Well, thank you for seeing past these plates and scars. I wouldn't want to go into hell with anyone else." Sighing contently, he brought up her face to meet his. He nipped lightly at her bottom lip before closing his eyes and placing his forehead on hers. Closing her eyes, as well, she sighed, currently content with the feeling of completeness and peace she felt. She vaguely wondered if now, the scales would start to tip back in their favor.


End file.
